Are You Actually Drinking Enough Water?

“Make sure you’re drinking your eight glasses of water daily!” I’m sure we’ve all been told that at one point or another in our lives. Many fitness professionals in my field recommend 0.5 ounce for every pound of current body weight. Should we drink filtered, purified, natural or any other fancy-sourced water? How do you know if you’re actually drinking enough water? How do you know you’re drinking too much water? Let’s dish on the deets and get to the bottom of this essential and healthy habit! 

To begin, let’s start with the basics … well, because that’s really what inspired me to start this blog, to educate!

Our bodies are on average composed of over 60% water – this average is based on the amount of lean muscle mass versus adipose (fat) mass in the human body. Lean muscle requires more water whereas adipose tissue requires less. But when you really think about it, our bodies are made up of A LOT of water! To break it down for you, if you have a 150-pound adult, that means approximately 90 pounds of their body is comprised of water.

Water is essential to our ability to thrive and survive – it serves many roles, here are some to get you thinking:

·      It is a solvent and transporter. It can help dissolve other solids, liquids and gasses and transport them throughout the body in many different pathways. For example, water is required in the transport of nutrients to cells and aids in carrying the waste products of our cells out.

·      It serves a role in growth. Water serves the role in protein synthesis as well as glycogen and other macromolecules.

·      It acts as a catalyst. Water is an element in the process of many metabolic reactions to support our body’s needs.

·      It is a lubricant. Think about the joints in our bodies. About 360 joints to be exact. But it aids in more than just keeping our joints moving smooth and pain-free. It also works as a shock absorber in our eyes and spinal cord. In developing fetuses, amniotic fluid is predominantly comprised of water – which helps with shock absorption during growth and development for the duration of the pregnancy.

·      It helps regulate our body temperature. This is probably the biggest motivation behind WHY we should consume more water, if these other reasons aren’t enough. Sweating is our body’s natural ability to regulate our core body temperature. As we heat up, our body releases sweat to evaporate off the surface of our skin to help cool us. If you are not drinking enough water, or are chronically dehydrated, your body will lack the ability to do this basic mechanism and you run the risk of developing a heat-related illness.

·      It is a mineral source. This is now dependent on the type of water you drink. Most of our water is processed to eliminate pollutants and chemicals but also includes adding limestone back into the re-mineralization process to give us some benefits such as electrolyte balance.

But how much water do you ACTUALLY need to consume daily?

It is recommended that we consume 30-40 mL of water for every kilogram of current body weight. Gotta love metric (for those of us that were taught on the Imperial System) – to make it a little easier … for every 2.2 pounds of current body weight, you should consume .03 ounces of water.

Uh, what?

Okay, I’ll make it even easier for you – 35 mL is equal to approximately 1.18 US fluid ounces. As for weight, 2.2 pounds equals 1 kilogram. So if you weight 150 pounds, that would be approximately 68.2 kilograms.

If one health professional is recommending (on average) 35 mL of water for every kilogram of body weight, it’s fair to suggest that a 150-pound adult should consume 2,386 mL of water daily … or 71.6 ounces of water per day. But this is just a minimum expectation.

We now need to take into consideration our daily activities, our environment and other factors that can impact our hydration (i.e. caffeine and alcohol consumption).

It is additionally suggested by the National Strength and Conditioning Association that for every 15 minutes of moderate to high activity/exercise that we consume as additional 8-10 ounces of water. And if it’s warm or humid outside? You’ll be sweating more than you typically do.

Dehydration is no joke and can cause a number of problems, but not drinking enough water daily isn’t the only way to increase dehydration – these symptoms or conditions can also cause dehydration:

·      Vomiting

·      Diarrhea

·      Fever and Sweating

·      Dialysis

·      Burns

·      Trauma

·      Kidney Failure

·      Diuretics

·      Diabetes Mellitus with Ketoacidosis

·      Hypoaldosteronism

·      Diabetes Insipidus

To wrap this all up, how do we know if one is adequately hydrated? Simple. Check your toilet when you’ve gone #1 – the clearer your urine is in the toilet, the more hydrated you are. Ideally you should have light yellow to slightly yellow urine. This is a sign that not only are you adequately hydrated but your kidneys are also functioning properly. If you take a multivitamin or vitamin B complex, be aware that those can affect the color of your urine!

 If drinking plain water isn’t your thing or you find that you get bored with it easily there are ways to work on getting more water in without supplementing with sugary beverages or flavor enhancers (which also are laden with added sugars). Try infusing your water in a pitcher (i.e. lemons, limes, mint leaves and cucumber) are all easy ways to give some great flavor to your water and make it easier to consume. Another option are herbal teas (these are naturally de-caffeinated). Reducing caffeine consumptions can also be a great way to start working on drinking more water and not overcompensating with other beverages.

 If you work at it, it will get easier and you will notice an improvement in your energy, your workouts, and your sense of well-being!

 For more tips and recommendations on hydration techniques, e-mail me directly. Stay hydrated, my friends